College football’s national championship game comes to the Bay Area for the first time. On January 7 at 5pm, college football’s National Championship game will take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The Clemson Tigers face the Alabama Crimson Tide for major college football’s national championship.

This post will help detail Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) public transit options to and from fan events in San Jose and Santa Clara on January 4-7. These options help you beat expected traffic gridlock, parking woes, and potential road rage incidents at the events. This post will also help detail a local guide for first-time public transit riders – especially those visiting San Jose and Santa Clara from out of town. Read on below for more information…

Please make sure to take advantage of these FREE transit services on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day – especially if you have been drinking. To help you use public transit on New Year’s Eve – and any other time – read our new First Time Transit User guide.

Express light rail service in Silicon Valley won’t be the only era ending October 8. That morning, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)’s 180 and 181 express bus service will shift to the new Warm Springs BART station from Fremont BART station. These are all part of VTA’s service changes to the transit system, effective Monday, October 8.

One other result to these changes: VTA buses will no longer serve bus stops in Fremont. This means passengers will likely have to take AC Transit’s 217 bus to Warm Springs BART, then transfer to VTA’s 180/181 express buses.

VTA staff on hand to welcome the first express light rail train in October 2010. Photo courtesy vtawatch.blogspot.com

Nearly eight years after its introduction, express light rail trains in San Jose will be no more. At its August 2nd meeting, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board Of Directors voted to end the express trains as of October 8 of this year. The decision, according to VTA, is being done to save between $720,000 and $820,000 of operating expenses.